The Church of Scientology launched its own TV channel with a vow that it will be candid about every aspect of the church and its operations but isn’t seeking to preach or convert.Friday, March 16, 2018

When her children were young, author Madeleine L'Engle used to take them on nighttime visits to the top of Mohawk Mountain, not far from the family's 200-year-old Connecticut farmhouse.Friday, March 16, 2018

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s founding fathers, who etched a commitment to encouraging Jewish immigration into the declaration of independence, might be surprised to find that, seven decades later, the state is relying on Christians to fulfill that promise.Friday, March 9, 2018

TAYLORVILLE — Christians believe that when they die they will go to heaven and on the last day physically rise again. There is more to this belief and understanding than just to be the crutch we need in life.

KINCAID — The members of the Kincaid Baptist Church invite you to attend their Spring 2018 Revival Services. This event begins on Sunday, March 11, 10:30 a.m. This year the evangelist for the week will be Brother Ed Chinaka of the Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.Friday, March 2, 2018

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Health care providers and students of all disciplines and faith traditions are invited to attend the 2018 Spirituality in Health Care Conference: Conflict as Catalyst for Understanding on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. The conference, with presenter Ann M. Garrido, DMin, associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, will be held at the Chiara Center in Springfield, IL.Friday, March 2, 2018

SPRINGFIELD — Teachers and students from the Parish School of Religion at St. Rita’s Parish in Kincaid had dinner and then attended “Hockey with Bishop Paprocki” at Springfield’s Nelson Center on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. The event was a fundraiser for Catholic charities. The trip was enjoyed by all. Retired Blackhawks player Grant Mulvey was also in attendance and signed autographs during a free skate after the game. Pictured from left are Giana Pop, Mallery Williams, Carol Sedlock, Cindy Tilley, Bishop Paprocki, Tessa Anderson, Jenna Pop and Emma Anderson.Friday, March 2, 2018

Unity was the theme during the 1992 Democratic National Convention, with nominee Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, joining hands with delegates as they sang an anthem called "Circle of Friends."Friday, March 2, 2018

MONTREAT, N.C. (AP) — The Rev. Billy Graham died Wednesday at age 99. He was the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history. Here are some quotations from the man who transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism.

TAYLORVILLE — Every day, VisionWay Christian School (VCS) students learn the importance of godly character. The fruits of the Spirit, such as kindness and gentleness, are explained to even the youngest children and students are recognized and rewarded for demonstrating these qualities throughout their day as they interact with staff and peers. In addition, this year our chapel services, centered on a Christ-like Challenge, have continually taught and encouraged children to live out these qualities in real-life situations.

TAYLORVILLE — Where do you see God? Where do you sense you are in the presence of the Divine? Wouldn’t it be great if God wore a GPS and we had a monitor so that at any point of time we could look at the monitor and pinpoint God’s exact location?

JERUSALEM (AP) — Facial hair is trendy worldwide these days, but in Jerusalem beards have never gone out of style, projecting religious mysticism, nationalism and ideals of masculinity.Friday, February 16, 2018

PARIS (AP) — A French bishop declared this week that the recovery a long-debilitated nun made after she visited the shrine in Lourdes was a miracle, the 70th event to be recognized as an act of divine intervention at the world-famous Catholic pilgrimage site.Friday, February 16, 2018

TAYLORVILLE — Where do you go when you need help? Recently I was walking across a room with my arms full of stuff and I was about to drop most of it to the floor. I couldn’t actually see who it was, but I knew someone had walked into the room, so I hoped for the best and said, “A little help please!” I know you’ve been there haven’t you? Maybe the circumstance was small or perhaps it seemed overwhelming, but at some point we all recognize that we need some help. In 1908, the universal distress signal, “SOS”, became an internationally recognized cry for help. Today, even young children in America are familiar with three simple numbers that call for help, “911.” We see it in the lyrics of a famous Beatle’s song, “Help, I need somebody!” The truth is that even though we may resist it, we recognize that eventually we all need help. Where we go for that help is critically important.Friday, February 16, 2018

In the world of "woke" Twitter, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana is a white-supremacist, fundamentalist, homophobic NRA lackey who has tested God's patience by opposing gun control.Friday, February 16, 2018

EFFINGHAM, Ill. — Bingo, laughter, goofy prizes, and a bit of the Bible! Vicki Quade (Late Night Catechism) and Nuns4Fun Entertainment are proud to present Bible Bingo: A Comedy with God, Games & Goofy Prizes February 11 at the Effingham Performance Center. Show time is 3 p.m.Friday, February 2, 2018

ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia House on Thursday unanimously passed a sweeping revamp to the state's adoption code, seeking to revive an ambitious overhaul that stalled last year when a controversial "religious freedom" clause was added by the Senate.Friday, February 2, 2018

PANA — Jews For Jesus will be presenting a Passover Seder Meal hosted by Faith-In-Action on Thursday, March 22, 2018 beginning at 6 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Pana.Friday, February 2, 2018

TAYLORVILLE — Scripture says “the thoughts of the righteous are just, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful”, and “wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?”, and “the Word of God is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge between the thoughts and intentions of the heart”Friday, February 2, 2018

TAYLORVILLE — We sometimes think aloud that another person should “carry his (or her) own weight.” That’s the way our culture operates. People are supposed to tend to their own business. They are supposed to provide for themselves financially, physically, and emotionally. They should be sure that they are not a burden on other people.

TAYLORVILLE — The Lenten season occurs when congregations and individuals prepare for the celebration of Easter. This is the time to reflect upon our lives and our relationship with Jesus. It is a period of 40 days beginning on Ash Wednesday. The Davis Memorial Christian Church (DMCC) 2018 Lent theme is “Getting in Touch with Jesus”.Friday, January 26, 2018

MT. AUBURN — Spend a night and day at Camp One Way this winter. See old friends, meet new friends, enjoy games, music and food. All camps begin Friday night (after supper) and end Saturday night (after supper). Drop off and pick up at 7 p.m.Friday, January 19, 2018

TAYLORVILLE — Faith Community Worship Center will recognize “Sanctity of Life Sunday” on Sunday, January 21, which is the Sunday in January closest to the passage of Roe vs Wade, the bill that opened the door for the murder of millions of fetuses in America through abortion.Friday, January 19, 2018

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Historical Society's (ISHS) 2018 Illinois Sesquicentennial Church program seeks nominations for churches serving the citizens of the state of Illinois for 150 years or more.Friday, January 19, 2018

TAYLORVILLE — Forty-two years after the infamous “Hail Mary” touchdown pass, the Minnesota Vikings was on the positive side of the “Miracle in Minnesota.” The play that was called was named, “Manna from Heaven.” Expressions such as “There was God,” and “I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” filled the air after the touchdown and during the interviews. There were a lot of religious expressions and praises for God.Friday, January 19, 2018

No one has to tell Marcia Nelson about America's rising number of "nones" -- people claiming zero ties to a religious tradition -- because she meets them day after day while working as a hospital chaplain in Chicago.Friday, January 19, 2018

This article utilizes some thoughts from Elayne Lipp, a retired pastor who has both professional and personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease, as found in the publication “Ministry with Persons with Mental Illness and Their Families” (2012).

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The Vatican was so concerned about the fallout from Chile’s most notorious pedophile priest that it planned to ask three Chilean bishops accused of knowing about his decades-long crimes to resign and take a year’s sabbatical — a revelation that comes just days before Pope Francis makes his first visit to Chile as pope.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Thomas S. Monson, considered a prophet by nearly 16 million Mormons worldwide, has died at the age of 90 after a nearly a decade as church president. He expanded the church's reach and its transparency and was known for promoting humanitarian causes despite leading a divisive fight against gay marriage.Friday, January 5, 2018

TAYLORVILLE — A new expansion to the Taylorville Christian Church is beginning to take shape, and Pastor James Jones says the congregation is extremely excited about the new 7,000 square foot addition.Friday, January 5, 2018

Sitting in a garden one day, Augustine, the great theologian and leader of the ancient church, prayed to God. His attempts at reaching out to God, understanding God, connecting to God had not been going well. Reaching out to God in an earnest and sincere way, he was asking God to speak, to be revealed to him.Friday, January 5, 2018

Several centuries after the birth of Jesus, Syrian scribes offered these names for the wise men who came to Bethlehem: King Hormizdah of Persia, King Yazdegerd of Saba and King Perozadh of Shelba.Friday, January 5, 2018

CAIRO (AP) — An attack today on Egypt’s Coptic Christians in which gunmen opened fire outside a church and at a store in the south Cairo suburb of Helwan, killing at least eight Copts and a policeman, is the latest episode in what have now become regular assaults by Islamic militants on the country’s Coptic community.

Can I confess something? I actually like when I get sick and have to be taken care of. My mom spoiled me, and while I don’t enjoy the feeling of sickness, laying in the bed, watching Netflix, and being served soup for 48 hours isn’t the worst thing in the world. Can we all be honest and admit that sometimes staying in bed is better than dealing with life. I ask because reading about the crippled man in John 5 reminds me not everyone hates being sick.

While there was nothing new about someone entering a religious sanctuary and gunning down the faithful, the bloodshed at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, was truly historic.Friday, December 22, 2017